Giant panda duo with snow-themed names land in frosty Finland
STOCKHOLM: Two giant pandas from China arrived to heavy snowfall in Finland on Thursday, a token of good ties between the countries that have agreed to cooperate on conservation efforts.
The weather was perhaps auspicious as the female panda was to be known as Lumi (Snow) in Finland, while the male was named Pyry (Snow Flurry).
The duo were inspected by a vet at Helsinki airport and several media outlets streamed the arrival.
Panda keeper Anna Palmroth, who accompanied them on the flight from China, said the pandas had eaten well, chowing down on “favourite foods: Bamboo, carrot, apple and panda cakes.” The last is a supplement made of flour and minerals.
Finland is among a dozen countries bestowed the honour of receiving pandas by Beijing. The deal was announced last year, the centenary of Finland’s independence.
From Helsinki the pandas will be transported to the Ahtiari Zoo in central Finland. As of midFebruary, visitors will able to see the duo.
Zoo Chief Juhani Haapaniemi has said the Finnish climate was favourable for pandas and they would be housed at a designated panda house.
Finland and China in April announced plans to cooperate on forest conservation, partly in areas of China that are home to the remaining1,800 giant pandas that live in the wild.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s national zoo has announced the birth of a giant panda cub, the second for its parents who are on a ten-year loan from China.
The cub was born on Sunday, according to a statement by the country’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The 150-gram newborn’s sex is unable to be identified yet as her mother is still protecting it in the feeding phase, Wan Junaidi said.
The cub’s parents, Xing Xing and Lian Liang, came to Malaysia on a10-year loan from China in May 2014, to commemorate the 40-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the countries.